Kent Kershner

(Ernie) Hi friends, I’m Ernie Rodina and welcome to AGam in Kansas, our Horsin’ Around segment. Great to be here. I’m at the 2015 Kansas High School Rodeo Championships. Got to hook up with one of the best and we’re talking about the FotoCowboy and that’s F-O-T-O Cowboy, Kent Kershner. (Ken) Yep. (Ernie) Kent, you’ve been doing this a long time, official photographer, the PRCA photographer. Tell us a little bit about what’s going on. (Kent) Well, the Kansas High School Finals, I’ve been shooting them for 19 years now and I’ve been shooting rodeos and shooting everything for a little over 38 years. And I’ll be out in the arena taking the action shots of everything. And they’re gonna be shot in high def and it’s awesome, the way to watch these kids grow up. I’ve watched these kids literally grow up. (Ernie) Well, you’ve been around, how many years did you say? (Kent) Thirty-eight years. (Ernie) And Kent, you know, it’s an art, with what you do with photographing the rodeos and everything. Tell us a little bit about what you’re looking for when you’re out there. Let’s take the saddle bronc for example. (Kent) Saddle bronc, you’ve gotta look for that leg extension. You’ve gotta look for the leg, heels over the neck of the horse. And you’ve gotta have that full extension. You want that shot. You don’t want the deed up, looking like they’re carrying a suitcase. You want ’em to be carrying and doing everything. Same way with the barrels. You want that action coming around that barrel. (Ernie) Of all the events, what’s Kent Kershner’s favorite event to photograph? (Kent) Can I have two? (Ernie) You can have two. (Kent) OK. Steer wrestling and bull riding. (Ernie) Bull riding. That bull riding is…you’re right in the midst of it a lot of times. (Kent) Yep. Oh ya, I’ve been run over a couple of times. And that’s to get the shot. And that’s what I do. I’m not what they call a motor driver. I shoot to get the shot. And that comes from the old school of when we had film, we couldn’t see how many we had left on our card. We had 36 exposures on our camera. And when we had 36, we had to get the shot. (Ernie) Well I can tell you’ve been doing it a great time. You’re here at Topeka, in Topeka at the Kansas High School Championships. How great is it, to see these families and the family atmosphere and everything here? (Kent) It is phenomenal the way these kids and the families get together and just have the fun and fellowship of just being able to be with each other in the rodeo doing what they like doing. (Ernie) I imagine your schedule in the summer is pretty much rodeo every weekend. (Kent) I gotta throw a few weddings in there to pay for my rodeo sometimes, but yes. (Ernie) You’ve seen a lot of changes, seen a lot of changes in the rodeo industry and everything. What’s something that’s stuck out in your head from 38 years ago. (Kent) Well, the way the cowboys come into the arena. You used to be you could tell that was a bull rider. And now, they’re coming in, you can’t really tell what they’re doing because they’ve got the suitcase instead of hanging their shirts over their shoulder like they used to do. They’re bringing in a suitcase now. (Ernie) I tell you what, this has really changed as far as the money and the purse and all these special events. (Kent) Oh yea, yea. The money has changed. The way they’re doing it. Yea, it’s… that’s why they’re doing it. (Ernie) Well I tell you what, it’s just great to have you here. Great to be here. You do a super job. You are… when I think of a rodeo photographer I think of Kent Kershner and the FotoCowboy. Folks, tune in every week to AGam in Kansas to the Horsin’ Around segment. I’m Ernie Rodina. And also check out Better Horses Radio. Go to betterhorsesradio.com. Folks, we’ll see ya. Til next week happy trails. (Kent) Thank you sir.